'Nothing impossible' as NI begin long road to Brazil

Northern Ireland defenders Nat Johnson and Rebecca Holloway tell BBC Sport NI of their dream of reaching a first ever Women's World Cup as NI go through the play-offs. Northern Ireland begin their World Cup play-off journey with a two-legged tie against Portugal A World Cup staged in Brazil is the stuff of dreams for any footballer and the chance to experience that is on offer for Northern Ireland as they begin their play-off journey against Portugal with hope of securing a spot at next year's tournament. It will be a difficult ask for Michael McArdle's side, which has been hit by a spate of injuries and features five new faces, but there is a quiet confidence in the group ahead of what will be for some of them, the biggest games in their careers to date.

First up, in what is set to be an arduous journey in search of a World Cup debut, is Friday's home leg at Inver Park (19:30 BST) against the Portuguese. "When you're growing up, Brazil is the place to be, it's the home of football. It really doesn't get much better than that," said Norwich City defender Natalie Johnson. "The fact that we are at this point and that it could be a reality, you don't need much more motivation than that. "There's